Under The Sakura Tree
by la.bella.vita13
Summary: Where unexpected birthday gifts can occur. Total NatsuMikan fluff.


**Under The Sakura Tree**

Where unexpected birthday gifts can occur. Total fluff.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: If I'd owned GA, why would I be here on FFN? <strong>

Total fluff, like it says. TOTAL FLUFF. With absolutely no thought put into it, and rustiness shown through prominently. You have been warned.

© La Bella Vita 13

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><p>Being born on the first of January was never really as fun as it seemed.<p>

Sure, you can pull all-nighters of parties, eat lots of cake and have fireworks. Sure, the whole world seemed to be celebrating your special day with you.

But still. Being born on the first of January meant only _one_ present. It was easy, I believed, to forget that there were two celebrations happening on the same day, and not just one. Granted, a passing year is quite the important thing to celebrate, but when push comes to shove, I just wanted someone to give me a _birthday _present.

They never did, though.

Every single time I wished for something wonderful, they would come up to me and say, "Hey, I put something in your bank account for the New Year, okay?" or just simply, "Happy New Year!" And I'm always left thinking, _'Wait a minute. Wasn't there something else special today?'_

For the most part, I didn't really mind. The people that I truly cared about usually only gave me something small to begin with. For instance, Hotaru, who decided last year that it was time for me to graduate from the usual cakes and ice cream she bought me for my birthday, and gave me a sock. A _sock_.

Despite this enormous discouragement, I still did for others what I wished from them: a proper gift. For Hotaru's birthday this year, I got her a big coat that I tried my best to sew together. She laughed at how terribly made it was, and stored it away in her closet so no one except for her failed inventions could lay their eyes on it. Inevitably, her actions made me tear up a bit.

This year, I felt it to be a different case. This year, there was someone that I truly wanted to impress.

Natsume Hyuuga.

He was the typical bad-boy type, the ones that I would try desperately to give justice to, and fail miserably. But it was different with him. Somehow, with his good-natured soul and spirit, he caught me under a spell.

Maybe it was his red eyes. Maybe it was the way he cared for me so. The idea of love was so unexplainable, so indefinite that I couldn't tell why on earth I chose him.

But this year, I wanted a birthday present. _From him._

I never really wanted to admit that to the world, who will see how desperate I am for wishing for a birthday gift that would never come. Wishing for him- and him alone- to care for me like nobody did.

When the time came, he grabbed me in the hand and ran all the way out of the party. _He gave me a present._ This was it.

I took my fingers and placed it onto the slightly crumpled wrapping paper.

"It's for you."

"…You remembered?"

I opened it nice and easily, so that I could save the wrapping paper for my scrapbook or diary.

Inside, was a small little card that was worthy of being bought at any old store. It read:

_May all your wishes come true this year! _

_Happy New Year! _

_Of course. _Of course he wouldn't remember my birthday, much less do anything for me. This was just a gesture, which he gave to all of his friends and family too. I wasn't _special_.

Dejected, I smiled at him synthetically. "Thanks, Natsume."

As soon as he started walking away, I felt terrible. I had, within my body, subconsciously, expected that he would give me something bigger, more unique than that. I read the card, from beginning to end, wondering what it was that made him choose this card instead of the rest of the choices.

It was of a tree, in the summertime, with a random arrow pointed down to the soil. I felt it to be seriously inappropriate, considering that it was winter.

But wait. _Didn't we have a tree just like that in elementary school? _That tree, which as a bypass was destroyed in our last year of middle school. With that, I ran over to the place where it used to be.

There I found him, digging holes and getting muddy in his winter clothes. He wasn't even wearing boots, although it was slippery from the snow. It didn't stop him, however, and he kept going.

"What are you-"

"Shh." He didn't want me to talk.

There, he took out something. As I looked closer and observed them, I realized what he was trying to do.

They were _seeds_. He was planning to replant the tree.

I knew I loved him then, more than ever before. And I joined him, despite my fancy attire, to get down and dirty. When we were done, we sat right next to the spot we always did.

He looked at me, smiling slightly, and leaned in to touch his cold lips with mine. Despite the cold temperature, everything was warm for me inside.

"Happy birthday, Mikan."

And that's when I decided, January First was the best day in the world.

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><p>I totally F-bombed this. _<p> 


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